So we've all have the photos, the super embarrassing ones, even our parents. You know what I'm talking about—the one where your mom has the 80's perm wearing her prom dress with those huge balloon sleeves.

Most often, when I see these pictures I want to say 'what were you thinking?' But, when I'm paging through magazines, I can't help but notice how bits and pieces of the Flash Dance era have crept their way back onto today's glossy pages.

I wanted to get in on this new trend (to some extent, I don't think I'll ever understand the spandex) so, I went on a mission. I'm a college student—I'm obviously not made of money—so I went somewhere I never thought I would go in search of something to update my wardrobe...my mom's closet. My mom is pretty nostalgic so she has boxes and boxes of old clothes and accessories that have been gathering dust for who knows how long.

I started digging, and to my surprise found the coolest, most unique things that I knew I would never see walking down the street on someone else. Although I wasn't planning on embracing my mom's 80's hand-me-downs to the max, I found accessories and accents that I could add to my everyday wardrobe to spiff it up a little—chunky belts that look so cute with girly sundresses, colorful cardigans that totally give you that 80's vibe, and headbands galore.

It was so much fun going through all of my mom's clothes with her because almost everything she kept had a story (even that awful blazer she wore on her first date with my dad). I think I'll just let the shoulder pads and spandex stay back in the 80's where they belong.